1. Field of the Invention
In at least one aspect, the present invention relates to the method for categorizing electronic mail message so that business-related messages may be distinguished from non-business related messages and also so that business-related messages may be further categorized into pre-determined and user created categories.
2. Background Art
One of the leading problems facing companies in complying with discovery requirements associated with civil litigation is the large volume of email messages. Although it is estimated that over 50% of email messages sent and received at work are non-business related, typically personal in nature, it is not feasible to completely eliminate such activity in an effort to simplify and improve information management. Consequently, the management of email messages is not only time consuming, it also places a heavy financial and technical burden upon company resources.
In addition, recent amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure require businesses to establish and follow policies for the preservation and destruction of email and other electronic information. Therefore, electronic discovery (e-discovery) has become an integral part of the civil litigation process, fostered by an awareness among legal experts that a large proportion of evidence is digital in nature. In conducting electronic discovery, problems often arise with respect to the vast quantities of electronic mail that must be reviewed, whether for a party's document production in litigation against another party or for any other relevant legal purpose. Therefore, a party's ability to manage information in these scenarios often depends on how readily it can capture, sort, review, and produce relevant email messages.
The gathering of partial or erroneous data can have profound implications on an electronic discovery process. Typically, metadata, or information associated with a given file, is stored on the file's host device. Metadata can include information, such as a file's creation date, author, or storage path. Some current methods of e-discovery limit search processes to a file's metadata and, in turn, miss information that could be crucial to a discovery process. Often, the relevant content is not stored in the metadata, but rather in the actual file data. Currently, email management typically involves the capture, indexing and archiving of all inbound, outbound and internal compliance-stipulated metadata that has been categorized according to a large variety of criteria. Consequently, such vast amounts of data can be difficult to manage when a company must produce content in response to a discovery request.
In addition to being expensive, obsolete, and often incomplete, the current methods of electronic discovery can be highly disruptive to business operations. Many email management tools require physical access for analysis by a consultant or expensive software program. The overhead cost of such programs and services, along with the business disruption in such circumstances, is often immense and unwarranted, particularly in situations involving large corporate-wide servers or tape drives. Additionally, these types of intrusive investigations into email use, and the implementation of email security measures, can result in a significant loss of workplace morale among employees.
Accordingly, there exists a need for improved methods of filter email messages in a manner consistent with the legal requirements placed on companies for managing such email messages.